Slow down now blog

I received an email the other day from a slowdownnow.org reader asking me if I was serious. Well, slow is serious. In fact, slowdownnow came out of a serious discussion on work/life balance which was originally posted on slowthinking.com. And that site, in turn was the result of my thinking that was stimulated during a face-to-face philosophical discussion group that met twice a week. The group has now disbanded but it lasted for five years. I met some interesting people I am still in touch with. Philosophy is one of those words that can turn people off. But we were street philosophers in the Socratic style rather than academics. It was all about questions, and not much about opinions. At least, that was when it was going well.

Now when it comes to talking about the serious subject of slow, the thing that struck me was that there is a danger in being what I call “preachy.” If people want to drive themselves to distraction, who am I to say they are wrong? There are those that enjoy the hectic life.

Sadly, slow is not always an option. When I first came to live in San Francisco, I was at a low ebb. I worked three jobs a day and lived for a few months at the YMCA: not the most palatial of places. It has long been turned into a “nice” hotel. I was newly divorced and had a low opinion of what I was capable of. That was years ago. I had no money, and needed to pay the rent. I couldn’t have slowed down if I’d tried. Today, things are much better.

Of course, slowdownnow.org is fun. But it is fun with some meaning. I started this blog section in order for you to comment on stories from the main site and articles posted here, or of your perspective on slow. The main site will continue to be a place for more stories. Thanks for reading.